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  Data acquisition deviceUSPTO Application #: 20080093451Title: Data acquisition device Abstract: A data acquisition device includes a housing, a card reader, a scanner, an electronic signature pad, and a data communication system. The card reader, the scanner, and the electronic signature pad are integrated with the housing and with the data communication system. The data communication system is configured to receive the data that is read by the card reader, the scanner, and the electronic signature pad, and to communicate the received data to a computer connected to the data acquisition device. The computer processes the data acquired by the data acquisition device with appropriate software. (end of abstract)
Agent: Mcdermott Will & Emery LLP - Los Angeles, CA, US Inventors: Gavin Trippe, Steven Saigeon, Ronald H. Means, Russell G. West USPTO Applicaton #: 20080093451 - Class: 235440000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Registers, Coded Record Sensors, Particular Sensor Structure, Multiple Sensor The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080093451. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/995,841, filed Nov. 23, 2004 entitled "Data Acquisition Device," attorney docket no. 64754-030, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/524,749, entitled "Data Acquisition Device," filed Nov. 24, 2003, attorney docket no. 64754-025. Both of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. BACKGROUND Background [0002] In many applications, a lot of information may have to be acquired from customers and/or other entities. The information is typically in the form of digitized data. In the retail industry, for example, information may have to be acquired for purposes such as customer identification and inventory management. In the health care industry, as another example, insurance data may be received from patients, and signatures may be received from the patients in connection with patient consent for charges and treatment. Photographs of the patients may also have to be received and stored, for identification purposes. [0003] The amount of data that have to be processed for many transactions, as well as the variety of the sources of the data, and the variations in vendor and/or jurisdictional requirements when processing the data, may create challenges for these transactions. SUMMARY [0004] A data acquisition device may include a housing, a magnetic stripe card reader, an optical scanner, an electronic signature pad, and a data communication system. The magnetic stripe card reader, the optical scanner, and the electronic signature pad may be integrated with the housing and with the data communication system. The data communication system may be configured to receive the data that is read by the magnetic stripe card reader, the optical scanner, and the electronic signature pad, and to communicate the received data to a computer for further processing. The data acquisition device may also include a smart card reader, or other type of security device, which may also be integrated with the housing and with the data communication system. [0005] A data processing system may include a data acquisition device, and a processor connected thereto. The data acquisition device may include a housing; a data communication system; a magnetic stripe card reader; an optical scanner; and an electronic signature pad. The magnetic stripe card reader, the optical scanner, and the electronic signature pad may all be integrated with the housing and the data communication system. The processor may be linked to the data communication system, and may be configured to receive data from the data communication system. The processor may be further configured to communicate with a database to determine whether the received data matches a record stored within the database, retrieve information in the record and process the information if there is a match, and generate a new record based on the received data and store the new record in the database, if there is not a match. [0006] A method of inputting information into a computer may include swiping a card in a magnetic stripe card reader housed in a housing, and placing the card in an optical scanner housed in the same housing. The method may further include providing a signature onto an electronic signature pad housed in the same housing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0007] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a data acquisition device. [0008] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a data processing system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0009] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a data acquisition device 100, which may allow different types of data to be acquired by a single integrated unit, and may transmit the acquired data to a computer for further processing by appropriate software in the computer. The data acquisition device 100 may include a case or housing 101; a magnetic stripe card reader 103; an optical scanner 105; and an electronic signature pad 107. The data acquisition device 100 may also include a data communication system (not shown) that may receive and transmit data that have been read by the different components of the data acquisition device 100. [0010] The housing 101 may house all the components (103, 105, and 107) of the data acquisition device 100 together within a single integrated unit 100. The magnetic stripe card reader 103, the optical scanner 105, and the electronic signature pad 107 may all be integrated with the housing 101 and with the data communication system. By providing a single hardware unit that may be used to acquire different types of data, a significant increase in convenience and efficiency may be achieved. The housing 101 may be made of plastic, metal, or any other type of material known and used in the art when fabricating housing units for electronic components. [0011] The data acquisition device 100 may also include a security device that restricts access to the data acquisition device 100 to authorized users only. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the security device may be a smart card reader 109, although other embodiments of the data acquisition device 100 may include other security devices known in the art. In FIG. 1, the smart card reader 109 is shown as being integrated within the housing 101, although other embodiments of the data acquisition device 100 may include a smart card reader or other security device that is a separate hardware component. [0012] The magnetic stripe card reader 103 may be configured to read a magnetic stripe on a card, while the card is swiped through a slot or groove 104 in the magnetic stripe card reader 103, as known in the art. In this embodiment, the magnetic stripe card reader 103 may define a groove 104 into which a card is slidably positionable. Because the magnetic stripe card reader 103 may be integrated with the housing 101, the groove may be formed or carved on a surface of the housing 101. [0013] In other embodiments of the data acquisition device 100, the card reader 103 may be a card reader other than a magnetic stripe card reader, and may be configured to read different forms of information, i.e. information that is embedded a medium other than a magnetic medium, including but not limited to an optical storage medium. The magnetic stripe card reader 103 may be used to read data from a broad variety of cards, including but not limited to: drivers' licenses, health care cards, supermarket cards, bank cards and credit cards. An exemplary use of the magnetic stripe card reader 103 may be the acquisition of data relating to the identity of a customer. For example, the magnetic stripe card reader 103 may be used to capture user identity information that is provided on a driver's license issued by a state. [0014] The optical scanner 105 may be configured to scan a card or other item as the card or item passes through a scan region. In one embodiment, the scan region may be defined by a window 106 of the scanner. In this embodiment, the optical scanner 105 scans the item being scanned if the item is placed within the window 106 of the scanner. The window 106 may be framed at least in part by a portion of the exterior surface of the housing 101. [0015] The optical scanner 105 may be a photo scanner, for example, which scans and digitizes photographs such as a photograph in an ID (identification) card such as a driver's license. The optical scanner 105 may also function as a 2D bar code scanner, and scan a bar code label on a card or other item having the bar code label attached thereto. The optical scanner 105 may be connected to other software and/or hardware system or systems (not shown), which may process the image data from the images or photographs that are scanned (e.g. photographs of the card's owner). The other software and/or hardware may also or instead be configured to identify and decode the bar code and/or textual information on the item being scanned. For example, the optical scanner 105 may have the ability to use OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology, known in the art, that may translate the image data that has been scanned in into ASCII characters. A scanner other than an optical scanner may be used, including but not limited to an infrared scanner and an acoustic scanner. [0016] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the data acquisition device 100 may include an activation switch 111 which may be used to activate the optical scanner 105. The activation switch 111 may be a simple button switch responsive to tactile pressure, for example, which may be turned "on" (switch "closed") or "off" by pressing on the button. In other embodiments, the scanner 105 may instead be automatically activated when a card or other item to be scanned is inserted within the window 106 or other scan region of the optical scanner 105, such as by virtue of a sensor switch that senses the presence of the card within the scan region. Other means of activating the scanner, known in the art, may also or instead be employed. For example, the mere presence of data may cause the scanner 105 to be activated. [0017] The electronic signature pad 107 may be configured to receive a signature and digitize the signature, as known in the art. The electronic signature pad 107 may be rigidly affixed to a surface of the housing 101. The data acquisition device 100 may include a stylus 108, which may be used by a user to apply a signature to the signature pad 107. The electronic signature pad 107 may be configured to create an electronic image of the signature that is written on the signature pad. The electronic signature pad 107 may further include an LCD display on which the signature is written. The LCD display may be integrated with the electronic signature pad 107, or may be a separate component. The LCD display may be connected to a processing system (not shown), which may be configured to cause the LCD display to display information that is pertinent to the signature, such as information about why the signature is being requested (e.g., "sign here to accept"), information about how to use the signature pad or other aspects of the data acquisition device 100, virtual buttons for the user to press (e.g., "accept" and "cancel"), or any other type of information. [0018] The signature pad 107 may be a signature pad other than an electronic signature pad, including but not limited to an optically activated signature pad, and a magnetically activated signature pad. Continue reading... Full patent description for Data acquisition device Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Data acquisition device patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Data acquisition device or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Information processing apparatus Next Patent Application: Method for communicating by a detector of the presence of chip cards in a reader chip cards and a reading device communicating by the presence detector Industry Class: Registers ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Data acquisition device patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.37625 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Novartis , Pfizer , Philips , Polaroid , Procter & Gamble , |
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